Cairns Primary School, Cambuslang
Cairns Primary School is a primary school for pupils in Cambuslang.
- Attendance
- 92.2%
Data last updated 25 Oct 2026
Cairns Primary School in detail
School in Scotland
Cairns Primary School is a local authority school in Scotland. Scottish schools are inspected by Education Scotland rather than Ofsted, and Scotland does not publish school-by-school exam league tables.
Cairns Primary School has a pre-school (nursery) class.
In the 2025 pupil census it had 313 pupils, an average class size of 22.4 and 15.3 pupils per teacher.
40% of P6-P7 pupils are registered for free school meals, 37% of pupils have an additional support need recorded and 8% speak English as an additional language.
38% of its pupils live in Scotland's most deprived fifth of areas and 9% in the least deprived fifth (SIMD).
Attendance was 92.2% in 2024/25, and 23.5% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
The 2026 school estate survey rated its buildings' condition as good (A) and their suitability for teaching as good (A); the school was 73% full.
Cairns Primary School in its own words
In its own words: "Cairns Primary School is a non-denominational primary school situated in the Halfway area of Cambuslang. We are proud to be part of the Cairns community and are keen to work in partnership with the local community and the Cathkin Learning Community. Cairns Primary was established in 1957."
Vision and values (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Cairns Primary School are St Cadoc's Primary School (under 0.1 miles), St Bride's Primary School (Cambuslang) (0.5 miles), Park View Primary School (0.6 miles) and Hallside Primary School (0.7 miles).
St Cadoc's Primary SchoolSt Bride's Primary School (Cambuslang)Park View Primary SchoolHallside Primary School
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Kirkhill Rail Station, about 910 metres away (roughly a 11-minute walk).
16 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Fernbank Avenue (before), 100 metres away.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Cairns Primary School are Cathkin High School (1.1 miles) and Trinity High School (1.5 miles).
Sources: Scottish Government school statistics: pupil census, attendance and absence, school estate, leaver destinations (OGL); NaPTAN (Department for Transport)
Key Information
Scottish GovernmentInspection
Schools in Scotland are inspected by Education Scotland, not Ofsted. Find Cairns Primary School's reports on the inspectorate's website.
At a Glance
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Special Measures
Social & online
Keep up with Cairns Primary School
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 8
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 5
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 8 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 6 slight.
5 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 4 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
2 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in South Lanarkshire is 4 (the median across 150 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Cairns Primary School
Questions parents ask about Cairns Primary School
What is the catchment area for Cairns Primary School?
Scottish schools have catchment (zoned) areas, and Cairns Primary School is no exception: children living in its zone are normally given a place there automatically. Families who want a different school make a placing request to South Lanarkshire. South Lanarkshire publishes the zone boundary.
How do I apply to Cairns Primary School?
If you live in Cairns Primary School's catchment zone your child is normally allocated a place automatically, and South Lanarkshire will write to you. To ask for a place here from outside the zone, make a placing request to South Lanarkshire - requests usually open in November and close in mid-March for the following August.
How many road collisions happen near Cairns Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 8 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 6 slight. 5 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 4 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 2 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in South Lanarkshire is 4 (the median across 150 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Cairns Primary School?
Cairns Primary School is at Ivybank Avenue, Cambuslang, Cambuslang, G72 8SQ.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)